dence of the ends of the earth, and of those who are afar off upon the seas; we offer up unto thee our united thanksgivings for the signal mercies thou hast vouchsafed to thy servant whom thou hast preserved in his voyage; that thou hast protected him from every danger, to which he was exposed; and hast restored him to his friends in safety. Write a law of thankfulness upon his heart, and hereby engage him to a diligent and grateful obedience to all thy commandments, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR RAIN. GOD, our heavenly Father, who by thy gracious providence dost cause the former and the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man; we give thee humble thanks that it hath pleased thee in our great necessity to send a joyful rain upon the earth, and to enrich the furrows thereof with the plentiful dews of heaven. Thou hast filled our hearts with joy and gladness. We pray thee to continue to us the genial influences of the sun and rain, and to make us truly thankful for all thy mercies, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR A PLENTIFUL SEASON. ALMIGHTY and ever blessed God, who mercifully suppliest the wants of thy creatures, and art continually giving testimonies of thy gracious providence; we rejoice at this time, with humble thankfulness, in the gifts of thine undeserved bounty, that thou hast caused the earth to yield its increase, and crowned the year with thy goodness. While thou art thus sending down thy blessings upon us, may we be disposed to live in a sober, temperate, and charitable enjoyment of them, and to bring forth the fruits of holiness and righteousness all the days of our life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. for our transgressions, by FOR RESTORING PUBLIC PEACE thy late heavy and dreadful visitation; and now in the midst of judgment remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from death; we offer unto thy fatherly goodness, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee; always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR PEACE AND DELIVERANCE FROM OUR ENEMIES. ALMIGHTY God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; we yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great dangers wherewith we were compassed. We acknowledge it of thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; be seeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our saviour and mighty deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. AT HOME. ETERNAL God, our heavenly Father, who alone makest men to be of one mind in a house, and stillest the outrage of a violent and unruly people; we bless thy holy name, that it hath pleased thee to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up amongst us; and we most humbly beseech thee, to grant to all of us grace, that we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy commandments, and leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, may continually offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these thy mercies toward us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOR THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. GOD of our lives, who art unchanged and unchangeable, without beginning and without end; we render thee our humble thanks that thou hast brought us through the year, which is now clos and the means of salvation. Sanctify to us the afflictions which thou hast appointed us to bear, and grant that they may contribute to our eternal welfare and peace. We e commend ourselves to thy holy keeping. Prepare us for life; prepare us for death, and for eternity. May we go on our way with new resolutions of obedience, new gratitude for thy mercies, and new vigour to perform thy will. And when our time shall be no more, receive us to thyself in glory; through Jesus Christ grace our Lord. Amen. ing, by thy mighty and outstretched arm. Thy candle hath shone upon our tabernacle, and thy smiles have gladdened our hearts. We thank thee for the care which thou hast extended to us, and the blessings which thou hast bestowed upon us. We have cause to be grateful, and we have cause also to be humble, in our review of the past. Much of our time has been wasted or misspent. O reward us not after our iniquities, and let not thy compassions cease from us; but graciously prolong to us the day of END OF THE PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS. ALMIGHTY God, give were come to Bethphage, us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty, to judge both the living and dead, we may rise to the life immortal. And this we beg in the name of our Mediator; through whom we ascribe unto thee all honour and glory, now and ever. Amen. unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet, of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said to them, It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye OW THE EPISTLE. Rom. xiii 8. WE no man any thing but to love one another; for he that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. The Second Sunday in Advent. THE COLLECT. have made it a den of BLESSED Lord, who thieves. hast caused all holy |